Nokie Edwards Interview

by Rick Landers.

Drenched in reverb and staccato drills up and down the neck, the Ventures have had staggering success as instrumentalists. More pointedly, from pairing up in the early ‘60s guitarist Nokie Edwards (lead/bass guitar), Don Bogle (lead/bass guitar), Mel Taylor (drums) and Don Wilson (rhythm guitar) have served all guitarists with a platter of melodies that have inspired several generations of musicians.

With over 90 million worldwide record sales to their name, the Ventures have had a long run at stardom in a potpourri of music styles that range from seriously beautiful originals and uptown covers with their monster instrumental “Walk Don’t Run” leading the pack. Their last mega-hit was the theme to the television series “Hawaii Five-O”. As America’s number #1 instrumental group, the Ventures hit the Top 100 album charts 37 times!

After the group's early days as a trio, they eventually formed into a foursome that included Nokie and Don, along with the lead guitarist and later bassist Bob Bogle and drummer Mel Taylor. Bogle played lead on “Walk Don’t Run” while Nokie handled bass. With Nokie's lead talents evident to all, Bob took up the bass leaving Nokie to take over lead guitar. From there the Ventures loaded up with hit after hit. Sadly Mel passed away of cancer in 1996 and the sticks rightly passed to his son Leon Taylor. The Ventures crew now includes lead guitarist Gerry McGee who’s been a Venture since 1968, while Nokie substitutes when needed.

Edwards has played lead guitar on such famous tracks as “Hawaii 5-O”, “Fugitive”,
“2,000 Pound Bee”, “Yellow Jacket”, Hokkaido Skies”, Driving Guitars”, “Surf Rider”, “Moon Child”, “Pedal Pusher”, “Sleep Walk”, “Let’s Go”, and “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue”.

Born in 1935, little Nole Edwards was soon nicknamed “Nokie” by his father as a nod to his Oklahoma roots. Nokie first picked up a guitar at five years old and by twelve he turned professional. Before he turned 18 Edwards was earning an astounding $350 a week while displaying an unprecedented style of country twang at a time when the average U.S. worker earned about $70 per week.

Nokie’s interests have moved in different directions over the years, including exiting the group to focus on thoroughbred race horses and later to develop a solo career. In fact, Edwards has left the Ventures four times! Still, he returns on occasion as lead guitarist for the Ventures when lead guitarist McGee needs a break or is focused on his own song writing and acting interests.

Edwards’ eclectic life journey has found him dabbling in the field of acting, a solo career, and establishing his own “HitchHiker” guitar model that closely resembles the old Mosrite Venture’s model but with neck through construction, some very choice tone woods, and redesigned features.

The Ventures developed a fanatic following in Japan where they almost singlehandely paved the way for the country’s interest in rock ‘n’ roll. The group have released over 200 albums in Japan and have been honored with the country’s Grammy equivalent award called a “Grand Prix”. Nokie visits his Japanese fans often where both he and his fellow Ventures are music legends.

And although the deserving group has yet to be inducted into the Rock “n” Roll Hall of Fame, in 1996 the Ventures earned a place at the Guitar Center's Rock Walk and in 2006 the Grammy Hall of Fame named “Walk Don’t Run” to its list of most influential songs in the history of music.

Modern Guitars met the Ventures backstage at the Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia where we talked with Nokie about his time with the group, guitars and his life on the road with his wife Judy.

It’s well known that Japan is the home of Ventures fanaticism. Was that obvious on the first tour and how has that changed over the years?

Nokie Edwards: We went over in ’65 and it was so huge you wouldn’t believe it! We didn’t know we were that big over there. We quit playing in the States for ten years which was a major mistake. We made a boo-boo. And everybody thought that we’d broken up. Twenty-twenty is always hindsight. They’re just getting to know. There are a lot of them out there that still don’t know we’re still playing.

Among guitarists the Ventures were known for using Semie Moseley's Mosrite guitars and we're told that he flipped over a Fender Stratocaster to come up with the Mosrite Ventures model. Is that true?

NE: Yeah. Their [Mosrite Venture model) necks were very thin. I went over there in 1963 and did that.

What was your first guitar?

NE: It was a Guild that had six push buttons on it. That was in ’52.

You started out with an electric?

NE: Well, no I started with an acoustic. I didn’t start with an electric. I learned how to play on a Stella. And it makes furls up to your knuckles. I started working in Oregon and wages at that time was about 70 bucks a week and they were paying me like three hundred [dollars]. I went out and paid cash for my guitar and amp.

I understand that there was a Fender Nokie Edwards Telecaster.

NE: I designed one and it’s the first time Fender ever did a major change on a guitar. I think it was in the ‘90s. It’s a Nokie Edwards Signature model and I did a tilt headstock on it. It tilted back and it was only a one year thing.

What gear are you using on tour these days?

NE: I’ve got the HitchHiker guitars. That’s my company. People can buy them off of my website. I found a very small amp. It weighs twenty-three pounds. It’s got 110 watts and a 8-inch speaker and it’s really loud. It’s under the HitchHiker name too. You can’t blow the speaker. You won’t believe it! It has 16 selections on it. You’ve got two knobs. One is selection and it will give you a little louder of that selection and add reverb to it. They guitars retail for about $5,000. The amps are running right around $1,100 and they’re tube. You won’t believe the sound! It’s only this high and this wide. And everybody that plays through it can’t believe it.

Along with being one of the Ventures, you’ve also gone out as a solo artist?

NE: I really enjoyed it! I played every type of venue, including country deals. Chet Atkins asked me to play the Chet Atkins Appreciation event. I got to know him pretty well. He was just a great guy and that’s all I can say about him.

In 1960, “Walk Don’t Run” became a hit. How did the success of that record build to make it a mega-hit?

NE: A disk jockey at KJR in Seattle said he’d play it for a news kicker and he started getting requests wondering what that was. He’s the one who broke it. He broke that and we signed with Dalton Records. Bob Dalton went down to Liberty and he had to guarantee that the song was a hit.

Did you ever meet Johnny Smith, the guitarist who wrote “Walk Don’t Run”?

NE: He’s a really nice guy. He invited us over to his place and we had dinner and played and did a whole thing. He’s a great guy. And his brother is fantastic at table tennis [Laughs].

By 1962 The Ventures were playing large venues like the Seattle World’s Fair with Jan and Dean and “Little Stevie Wonder”. How did your audiences change and the size of the places you played change over the years?

NE: The audience has always been good. We have a sound that they just love. And we played pretty simple for them where the melody is the main element.

And today you're doing some acting?

Now I’m working on the HBO series Deadwood. Lots of people like it. Back then how much do you think that Al made? In 1876 how much do you think he was making in money?

No idea.

NE: He was making $6,000 a day! That’s gotta be like a million dollars a day now. Right now, it seems like I’m kind of a friend that was Wild Bill Hickock’s friend. I’m not sure what they want me to do next.

Are you going to play guitar on the show?

NE: I don’t know. Maybe sometime down the line. They just take it in steps and they move it on. Maybe in time I will. Everybody was great to work with!

How’d you land the role?

NE: I know the owners of Melody Ranch and they were always wanting me to visit and on the way down there my wife was trying to keep it quiet and wasn’t suppose to tell me. She was asking simple questions like, “Have you ever thought of doing something like this?” So, anyway we got down there and they asked me to do a walk on. So, I did. There were a bunch of killings in the bar. And David Milch’s [Producer of HBO series "Deadwood"] has got to be a genius. He got sick for about a week and nothing happened. He writes well and it’s unbelievable how he does that. He’s really a nice person.

I understand the Ventures have played on cruise ships. How did that start and are there any more planned?

NE: Yeah, we did that. We did it one time. It was out of California. Yeah, that was fun. We played every day. There was around six hundred on ours. It just went down the coast of California. And they’re thinking about doing one out of Florida.

The last time I saw you the group kicked off the first set with “Walk Don’t Run”.

NE: We always start out with “Walk Don’t Run” and some kind of medly. That was our first song. It’s our signature song.

Any Ventures’ songs that you never get tired of playing?

NE: Lot of songs, yeah.

Favorite?

NE: Too many.

From what I can tell, none of the group got caught up in the '60’s drug scene, but always seemed to be a pretty steady group of guys who worked hard to keep the band intact and solid. How does a group that’s been together for over 40 years click and keep getting along?

NE: Money helps! [Laughs]We all get along good.

What did you think during the mid-'60s when you realized the British were invading the American music scene?

NE: It really didn’t bother us because we were instrumental. If we’d been a vocal group we’d probably have thought about it.

Did you know about the British instrumental group, the Shadows?

NE: They’re a good group. I was over in England and did a show over there and I had dinner with the rhythm player. Nice guy.

I went over to this guy’s place in Las Vegas. A great big guitar place and the Animals were staying with him. And when we started playing “House of the Rising Sun” he said, “They just fell out!”

Did you meet the Beatles?

NE: No. But, Elvis wanted us to play a party back in the early ‘60s. James Burton is a good friend of mine and Scotty Moore.

Do you ever get heavily involved in the studio and production side of your music?

NE: A little bit, yeah. Yeah, I do. Now I’m doing quite a bit. I’ve got a lot of CDs I did on my own. I’m doing other stuff with another guy. And I’ve been nominated for the last two years for a Grammy.

The Ventures have sold over ninety million records and still aren’t in the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of fame. What’s with that?

NE: Over a hundred [million]! Everybody’s saying the same thing. I don’t know how that works. It seems like they wait until you die [Laughs], but you know there are a lot of artists they wait until they die before they’re put in for some awards.

So, will Nokie Edwards be gripping and flailing away on his Telecaster until he can't walk or run?

NE: You have to! I enjoy it. I have a lot of friends I do shows with. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of Tom Bresh. He’s Merle Travis’s son. We do shows together! At the NAMM we went to the Marriott and we did a show there. Ripped the house up! They wouldn’t let us off stage!

Are you still living in Oregon?

NE: I live in an RV now and where ever we go that’s where we arej! It’s beautiful up through there and there lare lots of places in the States that are real nice. Right now we’re on the Melody Ranch because we’re doing all that filming stuff. I don’t know what we’re going to do. We’ll play it by ear as it comes.

Related Links
Nokie Edwards
The Ventures
Joseph A. Rosen Photography
Michael G. Stewart Photography

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